A Study in Terror is a 1966 thriller that features Sherlock Holmes taking on the disturbing murders committed by Jack the Ripper. James Hill directed this mediocre film that was written by Derek and Donald Ford alongside Henry Craog, who is apparently uncredited for some reason.
John Neville takes on the iconic role of Sherlock Holmes with Donald Houston as Dr. John Watson. Other members of the cast include Anthony Quayle, Frank Finlay, Adrienne Corri, and a very young Judi Dench.
An unexpected parcel draws the Baker Street duo into the chase for Jack the Ripper. Holmes figures out a connection to British royalty and begins his investigation in Whitechapel to try to identify the most elusive killer the London police as ever faced.
I can usually enjoy an old Sherlock Holmes film, but this one required a bit more of an effort than most. Neville was pretty reasonable casting as Holmes, but Houston’s version of Watson was rather bland. Watson came off as a bit denser than I imagine from Arthur Conan Doyle’s writings and other screen depictions.
There was also an attempt from the writers to cram every Doyle quote into this thing at any given opportunity, which just ended up coming off as forced and ham-fisted.
Also, the number of efforts to pit Homes against the Ripper have been too numerous to mention over the years. I was hoping this would be a better jab at it, but it was as disappointing as I should have expected.
I will say the set design was pretty remarkable. The visuals of the film are quite stunning at times, but the spectacle is let down by the writing.
I also think the fight scenes were pretty well crafted. There was a kind of a raw brutality that was surprising to see in a Sherlock Holmes film.
Although the film had a few bright spots, the writers kind of dropped the ball a few too many times for me to enjoy it as much as I had hoped.
Reviews, Musings, and Other Things... 